Chapter Forty-five




Alec had kept her keys. Now, why had he done that? It wasn’t like him to be so forgetful and not realize he had them in his pocket. Maybe he’d kept them so he would have an excuse to go back to the hotel. That’s what the shrinks would tell him. His subconscious wanted to see her again.
And so did the rest of him.
Alec stayed up half the night thinking about his future. About three in the morning he finally figured it all out. His future was with Regan… if she would have him. “Moving forward” took on a whole new meaning to him now. He didn’t want to go anywhere without her.
He made a couple of decisions about the job too, and he felt pretty good about them, but he fell asleep thinking about Regan and wondering how he would ever be able to convince her to love him.
The next morning, after he showered, he decided he ought to get cleaned up before he went to the hotel. He shaved and then put on a clean pair of jeans that only had a couple of holes below his knees. He opened one of the packed boxes and found a clean, though wrinkled, short-sleeve T-shirt and even took the time to tuck it in.
He happened to glance in the mirror while he was putting his gun in his holster and realized he should have gotten a haircut. His hair was sticking up all over the place. He shrugged. It was too late to do anything about it now anyway.
It was raining when he drove to the hotel. He was walking into the lobby when Gil caught up with him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t you hear me honking at you when you were crossing Michigan? I got caught at the light,” Gil panted.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“Alec, I might have something for you.” He glanced around and then said, “Maybe we ought to find someplace private.”
“I was just going up to Regan’s office. We can talk there.”
He used Regan’s key to get up to the third floor. Gil started explaining as soon as the elevator doors closed. “I finally heard back from that patrolman down in Florida, and he had some interesting news.”
The doors opened on the third floor, and both of them stepped into the corridor. It was empty and as quiet as a confessional on Friday night.
“So what did he tell you?”
“The accident happened over a year ago, closer to two,” he said. “And it was bad, just like I told you. A five-car pileup. I was worried the patrolman wouldn’t remember much about it, but he told me it was so gruesome he’ll take the memory to his grave.
“There was this ten-mile stretch of two-lane highway outside of Tampa. Walker Madison was driving a sports car, and the engine had a lot of power. Evidently he was passing this truck, and this late-model sedan pulls out behind him and follows him. A guy named Gage, Eric Gage, was driving, and his wife was in the passenger seat. Walker gets around the truck and back into his lane without any trouble at all, but Gage’s sedan didn’t quite make it. There are some conflicting reports. The patrolman said one witness swore the truck driver wouldn’t let the sedan in, that he deliberately sped up. There was another possibility that the sedan clipped the truck trying to get back in. Anyway, there was a terrible crash,” he explained.
Alec noticed Gil was talking faster and faster now, and his face was getting red. A knot was forming in Alec’s gut. He had a really bad feeling about what he was going to hear. “Go on,” he urged.
“The truck lost control, spun, and flipped. The sedan was totaled, but the driver, this Eric Gage, didn’t get so much as a bruise. His wife wasn’t so lucky. The patrolman said they had to pry her out of the passenger seat. He said it looked like the car had folded in on her. Sometimes he says he can still hear the screams. The wife was unconscious and barely hanging on by a thread. It was the husband who was screaming. The patrolman said he went crazy, pulling at his hair and sobbing that he should have let her drive like she wanted, and it should have been him in that seat. He got more and more out of control the longer it took to get his wife out of the car. The paramedics had to sedate him, and because of his size, it took three men to strap him down to the gurney. He was out of his head, all right,” Gil said. “And do you know what the patrolman told me he was trying to do?”
“What?”
“Get across that highway to Walker. He wanted to kill him. He was ranting about how Walker had been driving too fast, and that was why the truck veered.”
“But that wasn’t true?”
“Not according to the witnesses. The truck driver’s insurance company settled with the families.”
“How bad was Gage’s wife?”
Gil was pulling slips of paper out of his pockets. He unfolded one and nodded. “Her name was Nina, and she was all broken up, but her legs got the worst of it. The bones were crushed.”
“Ah, hell,” he whispered. “I knew it was too easy.”
He thought of Haley Cross and how her legs had been crushed with a hammer, and he knew it wasn’t a coincidence. He sprinted to Regan’s office. He just wanted to see her, to know she was okay. Then he could calm down and call Wincott.
Gil was chasing him. “Wait. Don’t you want to know where Eric Gage is now?”
“He’s here, isn’t he, Gil? He’s in Chicago.”
Gil nodded. Then he thrust the slip of paper at Alec. “Here’s his address.”
Alec grabbed the paper, opened the door, and rushed into her office. It was empty. Panic like he’d never felt before bore down on him. He was reaching for the phone when he heard the fax machine humming.
He knew what it was before he looked. He dropped the phone and ran to the fax machine. He grabbed the paper before it slid into the tray. It was another murder list, but the heading was different. *My Murder List*, he’d written, and underneath there was just one name. “Regan Madison.”

Chapter Forty-six




Regan walked at a fast clip at the beginning and then slowed down. The crowd thinned out. She was so lost in thought she didn’t realize everyone had passed her until she reached the second-mile marker. She’d already gone farther than she’d intended. It started to drizzle, and she was hot and sticky. The diehard runners were probably crossing the finish line by now, she thought.
She wasn’t sure where she was. She didn’t want to turn around and walk another two miles back to the starting line, and she didn’t want to keep going to the finish line because that was another three-and-a-half-mile trek. She knew she’d run into a volunteer if she turned around and started back, and so she did just that. She really should have paid attention to all the signs and arrows the staff had placed along the route, but she’d been too busy feeling sorry for herself. And thinking about Alec, of course. Why didn’t he know she was the best thing that would ever happen to him? No other woman would ever love him as passionately as she did.
He didn’t love her, though. He wouldn’t have stayed around as long as he did if it hadn’t been for his job. It was all over and done with now, and she needed to stop crying over him. She was probably dehydrated from all the tears she’d already shed. The only good thing to come out of all of this was that her pride was still intact.
Alec would never know that he had broken her heart. He would feel bad about it if he ever found out, and the last thing she needed or wanted was for him to feel sorry for her.
Tears blurred her vision. She was thoroughly disgusted with herself. “For the love of God, get it together,” she whispered. And stop thinking about him.
She was thirsty and decided to focus on that. She wanted water, but anything cold and icy would do. She increased her pace as she walked along, but slowed when she saw a volunteer riding his bicycle toward her.
She waved to him and asked if he knew of a shortcut to get back to the starting line.
“Didn’t you see the signs? There’s a path that cuts through the park. Just around the curve behind me,” he said. He smiled then. “Lots of the walkers have quit already.”
She didn’t much like his smug, condescending attitude. He’d certainly put her on the defensive. He rode on before she could explain that she wasn’t a quitter. She had planned to walk only two miles, and that’s exactly what she had done. In fact, she’d gone farther.
She shook her head then, for it finally dawned on her that she didn’t need to defend her actions to anyone, and what did she care what the volunteer thought about her? She saw that the biker had stopped again, and she guessed someone else was asking him if there was a shortcut through this maze.
She walked around the corner and spotted a trail angling to the south, but there was another one that branched off it twenty yards ahead. If it didn’t meander, it would take her directly to the parking lot beyond the starting line. She took it, but it didn’t really go anywhere, and she ended up circling halfway back to where she’d started. She tripped over something, looked down, and saw that her shoelace was untied. The stone wall was on her right. A huge oak tree, at least seventy-five years old, butted up against it. Its gigantic branches, covered with leaves, draped down over the wall, and she noticed someone had carved initials in the trunk. She leaned against it, swung her foot up on the edge of the wall, and tied her shoelace, and then straightened and leaned forward to see what was on the other side.
A steep, narrow ravine sloped down a good forty feet to a wooded area with a stream running through it. Jagged rocks jutted out on one side of the drop, but across the stream, there were trees with thick gnarled branches that looked as though they were growing into the side of the hill.
It was drizzling again, and a fine mist was hanging like a puff of smoke between the trees. There wasn’t any breeze, and the air was stifling. It was suddenly so quiet, so still, she felt almost disconnected from the world around her.
Her gaze moved upward. That’s when she saw him. There, standing between the trees was the man in the black running suit. He was directly across the ravine, and he stood as still as a statue. He was waiting for her to find him. She was so shocked to see him there, she flinched. He nearly gave her heart failure. What was he doing?
Surely no more than three or four seconds passed as they stared at each other. His face was completely devoid of any expression. She kept her eyes locked on him as she slowly backed away from the wall. He suddenly tilted his head ever so slightly and shouted something to her. Just one word, she thought, but she couldn’t make it out.
His face changed then, and, oh, God, she suddenly knew who he was and where she had seen him before. Terror crushed down on her. He mouthed the word again, much slower this time, clearly enunciating, and then he motioned with his hand, and she finally understood.
Run. He was telling her to run.

Chapter Forty-seven




Eric cage only needed a minute alone with her. That was more than enough time to do what he intended. He almost wished she would get away, and yet he knew he couldn’t let her escape. He had to kill her.
Walker Madison had put his sweet, innocent Nina through hell, but Eric wouldn’t make Regan Madison suffer the way his wife had. No, the kill would be quick. And justice would at last be served.
The demon would burn with rage, but it would end today. Eric was determined. It would end with Regan’s death.
Still, he wanted to give her a fighting chance. That was the fair thing to do. Wasn’t that why he hadn’t killed her when she’d been standing at the wall looking at the trees? He’d let a perfect opportunity slip by. She was sweet and innocent like his Nina, and he hoped, before she took her last breath, that he could help her know, help her understand why she had to die. He would tell her, just as he had told Nina, that none of this was her fault.
Run, Regan. Try to save yourself.
Regan didn’t move. Like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, she froze with terror as she stared in shocked disbelief across the ravine at the crazed man. She didn’t see the gun in his hand until he was lifting it up. He fired twice in rapid succession before she even had time to turn. The first bullet scraped the top of the stone wall and sent bits of rock flying up in her face. One fragment nicked her right cheek. The second bullet ripped a piece of bark off the oak just inches away from her. The noise from the gun blast was horrific and felt like a fist slamming against her eardrums.
She flew into the trees. She dared a quick look back and saw him circling the ravine. He was running so fast he looked like a blur.
She didn’t dare take time to look back again. Faster, faster, she had to run faster.
Her mind couldn’t make sense out of what was happening. She desperately tried to concentrate. She remembered the broken path wound back around to the ravine. She didn’t want to go back that way; she wanted to get to the street, but her sense of direction was all screwed up, and she wasn’t sure which way to turn.
She was running flat out through the trees, staying off the path, her head down as she raced ahead.
He fired again. The bullet grazed her thigh. It burned, but the pain didn’t slow her down. It shocked her, though, that he was that close. She’d thought she’d put some distance between them, yet she could feel him closing in.
She had to run faster. He fired again. The bullet tunneled into the ground in front of her, and a clump of mud splattered her legs. She could feel the scream building in her throat, but she didn’t make a sound as she began to cut back and forth through the trees and the brush so she wouldn’t be such an easy target.
Where in God’s name were all the runners? Was the race over? Had they all gone home? She had the insane urge to look at her watch to find out what time it was. Had she veered that far off the beaten path? Hadn’t anyone heard the gunshots? My God, it sounded like cannon fire to her.
She thought she heard someone shouting her name, but she couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from. Had she just imagined it, or had someone really called out to her? Maybe Sophie and Cordie were looking for her. Dear God, she hoped not.
She kept running through the woods, the wild brush scraping her legs. If she could just make it to a street, she could get help. Faster, faster, she chanted. She didn’t have to look behind her to know he was gaining on her. She could hear him crashing through the brush.
No. Wait. The sound wasn’t coming from behind now. She strained to listen. It was difficult to pinpoint exactly where it was because her own heartbeat was roaring in her ears.
Run, run. She had to keep running. There it was again… branches snapping back, but the noise was coming from her right now. Oh, God, he was parallel to her. She understood what he was doing then. He was working his way around to get in front of her.
And then he would stop and wait, and she would turn right into his arms. It was a game to him. All this time she’d thought she was staying ahead of him, outrunning him, and he’d been leisurely toying with her.
She barely slowed as she changed directions. Even in her panic and near hysteria, she was careful not to twist her knee or pivot. She’d drop then, and he’d have her. She leapt over a thorny, dried-up bush and kept going. Then she changed directions again… and again.
Where was everyone? Should she scream in hopes that someone would hear her? No, she shouldn’t do that. Even though she was pretty sure the maniac knew exactly where she was, she couldn’t be positive, and she wasn’t about to give him any help.
She couldn’t keep up this pace much longer. The muscles in her legs were on fire. In another minute or two, they would give out on her and she would collapse.
Oh, God, it was hopeless. No, no, don’t think that way. Don’t give up. Run, just keep running. Her legs were shaking now and burning with pain. The muscle spasm in her calf made her want to cry out, but she kept going. She would not give in. There was too much to live for, and she wasn’t going to let a maniac snatch her future away.
What she needed was a plan to buy her some time. Okay, okay, what could she do? Think… He had a gun. She didn’t. He was obviously in much better shape, and he was stronger. He was also faster.
But she could have one advantage. She could be smarter.
And then it came to her, and she knew exactly what she was going to do. Her plan hinged on her finding her way back to the ravine. She had to keep running. She broke through the bushes onto the path and saw the wall directly ahead of her. Which way should she turn?
The maniac made that decision for her. He was on her left now, and so she ran in the opposite direction. She didn’t dare stay on the open path, though, and so she raced in and out of the trees, keeping the wall in sight.
There. There it was. She could see it up ahead, that huge oak with the branches hanging out over the wall. That had to be the spot she was looking for.
She broke through the brush again. Do it. She had to do it. He was coming up fast, but she didn’t think he could see her yet. She wiped her hands down her sides, and with one final burst of speed, she raced down the path and vaulted over the wall.

Chapter Forty-eight



Eric reached the path and stopped. Where was she? Which way had she gone? He tilted his head and listened, but he didn’t hear a sound. She had vanished.
His disappointment was severe. She had turned the chase into a game of hide-and-seek. He couldn’t hear her, but in the distance someone was shouting her name, and whoever he was, Gage thought he was getting closer.
Gage knew he had to hurry. He didn’t have time for this silly game. She was being foolish. She had to know he was going to find her and kill her. Why was she fighting the inevitable?
He could feel his anger gathering inside him, and with it came a tremendous sadness, for he knew that when he did find her, he would be in a rage, and she would suffer his wrath before she drew her last breath. If she didn’t show herself soon, there wouldn’t even be time for him to explain, to help her understand why she had to die.
He realized then he’d made a mistake. He should have killed her right away. He shouldn’t have let her run. But he’d wanted her to feel that she had some say in her fate. His Nina hadn’t known what was coming. She’d been asleep, curled up in a little ball in the passenger seat, using her jacket for a pillow against the window, oblivious of what was happening. The truck flipping and rolling, the cab sliding down the center of the highway with fiery sparks shooting out on both sides like electrified cables, coming closer and closer. It had all happened in an instant, but in his mind’s eye, it had taken an eternity to strike… and destroy their lives forever.
Another shout came from behind, jarring him. He realized then that the sound was fainter than before.
Gage thought he heard the crunch of gravel underfoot. The sound was coming from up the path, and he bolted in that direction. He rounded the curve and stopped. He recognized where he was now. Full circle, he thought. She’d taken him back to the very spot where she had stood when he’d first fired at her. Yes, she’d stood right there next to that old tree.
He had watched her stare down into the ravine, the palms of her hands flat on top of the stone as she leaned over. She’d looked across the ravine… and then she’d found him, waiting so patiently for her to look up and see him standing between the trees. Oh, yes, this was the very same spot.
But where was Regan hiding? He stood perfectly still and listened. He couldn’t hear her. He turned around and looked behind him? Nothing there. Ah… there it was. A hint. He could hear what sounded like rocks cascading down the ravine.
She’d jumped over the wall and was hiding down below. Clever girl, he thought, but not too clever. He rushed to the wall and looked over. Small stones were skipping over the larger ones. She was down there all right, but where?
He thought he saw something move to the right behind some dead, rotting branches. His reaction was instantaneous. He fired twice, hoping to hit her or spook her into showing herself.
The blast from the gunshots reverberated through the trees, and more rocks showered down the incline. He knew the police had heard the noise and would be closing in on him. It was too late to do anything about that now.
He heard someone shout her name again, knew someone was coming. Gage leaned against the wall, turned, and aimed. Then he waited.

Chapter Forty-nine




Alec heard the shots as his car skidded to a stop. He threw the gear into park and didn’t bother to turn the motor off. He was out on the pavement and running, ignoring the crowd and barriers he knocked down as he raced forward.
Behind him, John Wincott’s car, with sirens blaring, careened to a halt in the parking lot.
Alec spotted Sophie and Cordie across the lot at the same instant they saw him. Cordie ran to intercept him while Sophie shouted, “We can’t find Regan. The police won’t let us look for her, and then there were gunshots…”
Alec grabbed Cordie. “Where did you last see her?”
“At the starting line. She was going to walk two miles so that would be a mile on the path and then a mile back.”
A shot sounded, and before Cordie could say another word, Alec’s expression changed and he was gone.
She had never seen that look on anyone’s face before, and it terrified her. She knew that when Alec caught up with whoever was firing those shots, he would kill him.
Alec was crazed. If anything happened to Regan, if he got there too late… if one of those bullets had already struck her down… No, there was still time to get to her. There had to be. The son of a bitch was going to die and die hard. If he touched one hair on her head, Alec would flay him alive.
Where in God’s name was she? Did Gage already have her? Alec shouted Regan’s name.
Wincott was behind him. Alec could hear him panting as he tried to catch up. He was shouting too.
“Wait, Alec. Don’t go nuts. Let me get ahead of you. Don’t give the bastard a shot. You’re no good to her dead.”
Alec ignored him. He couldn’t think about anything but get-ting to her.
Two more shots were fired. Alec raced toward the sound.

Chapter Fifty




Cage was becoming frustrated. He leaned over the wall and looked down again. She wasn’t as easy to kill as he had anticipated. The ingrate. After all the trouble he had gone to for her. She’d made that list, and he’d played along, hadn’t he? She’d even told him what to do about Peter Morris—she’d given him the idea anyway—with those notes she’d written on her folder. Yes, he’d played along. He’d given her what she wanted. He had taken a risk for her by not letting the demon know what he was doing. He had thought to do a kindness for her, to make her happy, because none of this was her fault and he felt she deserved a little happiness and joy before she died.
She wasn’t appreciative. And that infuriated him. He could feel rage taking control. What a mess he had made of this. No, no, he mustn’t blame himself. This wasn’t his fault. He hadn’t done anything wrong. She had. She was the slippery one. She was responsible for this mess, not him. Oh, he knew what she was doing. She wanted him to blame himself just like he had after the accident, but the demon had helped him understand that it was all Walker Madison’s fault.
Gage could still see Walker clearly in his mind’s eye, the celebrity standing across the highway, his hands in his pockets, his expression solemn. He was surrounded by men and women, adoring fans who were all wanting a tiny piece of his attention while the paramedics peeled his Nina’s broken body from the wreckage.
The truck driver had died at the scene, and the police had placed the blame on him, but what good was it to rage against a dead man? No, Walker was responsible.
A voice jarred him. Someone was shouting Regan’s name again, an anguished cry he didn’t understand. Then it came again, much closer this time. He didn’t have time to swing over the wall and slide down into the pit to find her. Regan would have to wait a little longer. He straightened, leveled his gun on the path where he heard the pounding footsteps, ready now to kill again.
Alec broke through the trees with his gun drawn.
Gage had a clear shot at him. Suddenly a scream of warning came from the branch above him, and he looked up a scant second before Regan slammed both feet into the side of his head. She landed hard on top of him, rolled, and tried to crawl away, but he was as quick as a snake and latched onto her ankle. He was dragging her back as he swung the gun around.
Alec dove to the ground, waiting for a clear shot, and the second she scrambled to get away from Gage, Alec pulled the trigger. It was a clean kill, one bullet into his skull, but Alec wasn’t taking any chances. He kept his gun trained on him as he ran forward and kicked the gun out of Gage’s hand.
Alec dropped to his knees. It took him two tries to holster his gun. He grasped her shoulders in both hands. “Are you okay, Regan? Are you okay?”
She became hysterical. “Make him let go of me. Get his hand away from me. Make him let go.”
Alec ripped Gage’s hand away from her ankle. Then he stood and pulled her to her feet. He was checking her over as he asked once again, “You’re okay, aren’t you?”
He sounded frantic, but he couldn’t help it. He’d come so close to losing her. Now that he had her in his arms, he couldn’t make himself let go. He held her tight.
“I’m fine,” she told him. Her voice was surprisingly calm. Running that long and that hard had taken its toll, though. She was amazed her legs could support her. Her muscles felt like rubber.
She was thankful for his strength. She was trembling almost uncontrollably, and just when she thought she was getting over the trauma, she started crying. Alec didn’t seem to mind that she was sobbing all over his T-shirt while she was trying to tell him how scared she had been for him.
“You could have died,” she cried. “He was waiting for you. I knew it was you because you were shouting my name. Alec, he was going to shoot you. You could have been killed. Do you know how close you came?”
He was stunned. Gage had chased her, shot at her God only knows how many times, and she had worried about him. He wanted to kiss her and tell her he loved her, but she was going to have to finish crying first.
Wincott was standing by Gage’s feet staring at Alec.
“Did you see her?” Alec asked.
Wincott nodded. “I did. She came down out of that tree like a shooting star. Shocked the hell out of me. Sure surprised Gage too. She saved your life, Alec. He had you in his sights.”
“I know she did.” Alec tightened his hold on her. “I’m going to get her out of here.”
“There should be at least one ambulance waiting in the parking lot. I’ll catch up with you after I get the crime scene crew in here.”
Regan pulled away from Alec. “What are the ambulances waiting for?”
Wincott answered. “They’re prepared for just about anything. One of the paramedics will clean up those cuts for you.”
Alec put his arm around her and started walking. She leaned against him. “Alec,” she whispered. “Yes?”
She sounded bewildered when she asked, “Who was that man, and why was he trying to kill me?”

Chapter Fifty-one



Nina cage watched the news bulletin on the television. She saw her husband being placed in the ambulance by the paramedics and the police. They weren’t in a hurry. A sheet covered the body, but Nina knew the unidentified male was Eric. They knew who he was too but were withholding that information until the next of kin was notified. They would be knocking on her door any minute now.
She felt no sorrow or pity for Eric. Had he failed or had he succeeded? That was all that mattered.
She waited to see another body. The TV camera scanned the parking lot, and she saw her. Regan Madison was alive. For a split second, Regan turned and looked into the camera’s lens, her eyes, like daggers, piercing Nina’s heart. A low, keening sound in Nina’s throat erupted into a scream.
She heard someone knocking on her front door.
She picked up the gun Eric had so thoughtfully left for her and pressed the barrel to her temple.

Chapter Fifty-two



She wasn’t kidding about being a crybaby. Every time Alec thought she was finished, she started in again. He wasn’t concerned. He knew that crying was her way of getting rid of all the tension inside her. She had been through hell today and had shown remarkable courage and strength and grace, but now that it was over and she was safe, she could let it all out.
Alec sat next to her on the sofa in her suite, and had they been alone, he would have lifted her onto his lap and cradled her in his arms. They weren’t alone, though. The room was crowded with family and friends.
Aiden and Spencer were sitting in easy chairs, leaning forward as they listened to John Wincott explain once again how their brother Walker had unknowingly triggered Gage’s obsession for revenge.
Sophie and Cordie, looking as if they were about to burst into tears themselves, sat in straight-back chairs by the French doors leading to the bedroom.
Regan was dabbing at the corners of her eyes and trying to pay attention to the conversation, but Alec kept distracting her. He had taken hold of her hand. She pulled it away. He grabbed it again. When she looked up at him, he winked at her. She was confused.
He shouldn’t be teasing her. Had he forgotten he was leaving? Maybe she should remind him.
She didn’t know how she was going to get through another good-bye. Just thinking about it made the tears flow again. John Wincott leaned forward to hand her another tissue from the box he’d placed on the coffee table and said, “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes,” she assured him. “It’s just what I need to do sometimes.”
Wincott glanced around the room. Her brothers and her friends were obviously used to the tears because they all nodded. Alec didn’t seem fazed either. Wincott smiled then. In the crisis, she’d been incredible, and if she wanted to cry now, it was fine with him.
“I do this a lot,” she admitted.
Everyone nodded again. Even Alec. She decided to ignore him and turned to ask Cordie a question, but he distracted her again. Before she realized what he was going to do, he’d put his arm around her and pulled her in to his side.
Regan noticed that neither one of her brothers looked the least bit surprised. Sophie and Cordie, on the other hand, looked astonished.
“So that’s some good news, isn’t it, Regan?” John had asked the question.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“It’s been a long day. I was talking about Peter Morris and saying that the murder charges were dropped, of course, but he had already confessed to stealing that grant money and gambling it away. If the judge throws that confession out, they’ll still get him for embezzlement. Seems Morris was dipping into the center’s bank accounts. He’s going to be doing some hard time.”
“That’s good to hear,” Spencer said.
Regan agreed. Both of her brothers were calmer now. When they had arrived at the park, they were half out of their minds with worry. Regan was sitting in the back of an ambulance with Cordie and Sophie while the paramedic cleaned her cuts. Regan had never seen Aiden or Spencer carry on so. It was another revelation. Aiden was actually shouting at a detective. Spencer had tried to punch out one of the TV cameramen when he tried to climb into the ambulance to get a close-up of her. Spencer needn’t have bothered. Alec wouldn’t let the man get near her. He reined in Aiden too and got him to calm down.
“We still haven’t been able to get hold of Walker,” Spencer said.
“Do you think he’ll remember the accident?” Sophie asked.
Regan frowned. “Of course he’ll remember.”
“He didn’t cause it.” Wincott repeated what he had already told them. “According to the patrolman’s notes, he cited the truck driver and Gage for reckless driving.”
“Then Gage did have a hand in the accident,” Cordie said.
“That’s right,” Wincott said.
“Why did the truck driver’s insurance company settle then?” she asked.
Alec answered. “There was an eyewitness who swore the truck driver deliberately increased his speed so Gage couldn’t get back in when he was passing him. I’m sure the insurance company didn’t want a long legal battle. It was cheaper to settle.”
Regan looked at Aiden. “And more practical.” She was thinking about Emerson and how they had decided to give him a small settlement to get rid of him.
“Gage shouldn’t have tried to pass that truck,” Sophie said.
No one disagreed with her. Then Alec said, “I don’t think Gage could accept responsibility for any of it.”
“Walker got around the truck without any trouble, but Gage couldn’t, and maybe that’s what set him off.”
“You should have seen that bedroom upstairs in their house. It was Eric’s private domain because Nina couldn’t climb the stairs. He had all sorts of interesting things sitting around.”
“Like what?” Sophie asked.
“Nina’s medical records from the hospital and the rehab facility. Among some of the papers were bills for Eric Gage from a psychiatric hospital.”
“How did he get medical files?” Sophie asked.
“He must have stolen them,” Cordie said. “But why?”
“Maybe she wanted him to steal them,” Wincott answered. “He was the unstable one in that marriage. She wasn’t, though.”
“How do you know that?” Regan asked.
“Bradshaw went through her records and read me some of the comments the doctors and the therapists had written about Nina and her progress. She was an extremely difficult patient,” he said. “And that’s putting it mildly. She didn’t want to get better; she wanted to get even. I think she pushed and pushed until Eric did what she wanted. Nina Gage was a bitter, broken woman.”
“I think Eric was real conflicted about killing you,” Wincott told Regan.
“He sure didn’t act conflicted when he was chasing her through that park and shooting at her.” Alec got angry thinking about it.
“He found your murder list, and maybe he was trying to fulfill your last wishes before he… you know,” Cordie said.
“What a sick bastard,” Aiden remarked.
“I’m with you on that,” Alec said.
“Do you suppose he wanted someone to stop him?” Regan asked. “And that’s why he sent the e-mail and the faxes? He knew the police would get involved.”
Wincott flipped his notepad closed, put it in his pocket, and said, “At first he did, but then Gage set Morris up to get us away from you, so he must have changed his mind. It appears to have been a game to him. Nina was the controller in their marriage, and Eric was eaten up with guilt. He did whatever she wanted him to do.”
“And they blamed my brother for their misery,” Regan said.
“She knew exactly what she was doing. As soon as she was strong enough, they packed up everything they owned and moved here, to Walker’s hometown. It’s my belief that Walker was their first target, and Eric was waiting for an opportunity to kill him.”
Alec nodded. “But plans have a way of changing.”
“There were photos on Gage’s kitchen table, and a clipping file on Walker. They were keeping track of where he was,” Wincott said. “And you know what else was on that table? About twenty copies of a photo of all of you that was in the newspaper. I think that’s when their plans changed. Imagine how she must have felt every time she looked at your smiling faces. In that picture, Walker is standing behind Regan, sort of looking down at her, and he’s got his hand on her shoulder. He’s looking so proud of her and happy, and that must have sent the Gages into orbit.”
“They wanted to make Walker suffer before Eric killed him,” Alec said. “They had a real hate going on.”
Regan shivered. “The accident turned them into monsters.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think they were real nice people before the accident.”
“You almost have to pity them,” Regan said.
“The hell with that. He tried to kill you. If I could, I’d shoot him again.”
Wincott stood and stretched. “That’s about it.”
Sophie also stood. “I’m going home. You scared me to death today, Regan. I swear it’s going to take me a week of shopping to get over it.”
“Am I supposed to apologize?”
Sophie grinned. “If you want to.”
“Sophie, you have to drive me home,” Cordie said. “And if Regan apologizes to anyone, it should be me. I didn’t want to walk in that race anyway. If you’ll remember, I suggested we go to the frozen custard shop.”
“No, we were supposed to meet there after the race,” Sophie said.
They were arguing as they walked out of the suite. Wincott said good-bye, shook hands with her brothers, and also left. Alec followed him.
“Hey, John, hold up. I want to run something by you.”
Aiden and Spencer also headed for the door. “Are you going to be okay tonight?” Spencer asked Regan.
“I’ll be fine.”
She walked over to Aiden and nudged him in his back as he was walking out the door. “You want to hear something funny?”
“I could use a laugh about now.”
“You know that little problem I had?”
“Which little problem?” He made it sound as though she had too many problems for him to keep track of.
“The problem with sleazebags.”
“You mean old men marrying young women?”
“Yes.”
“I remember telling you to get over it.”
“I did get over it, but that’s how I noticed Eric Gage. There was this older man with this very young woman walking across the street. I, of course, homed right in on them. Old habits die hard,” she explained. “And I was thinking that I shouldn’t react with such disgust, just because… well, let’s face it, he was a sleazebag.”
“Oh, yes, I can tell you’ve gotten over your problem.”
“If I didn’t have that problem, I wouldn’t have noticed him. That’s all I’m trying to say.”
“And did noticing him in any way affect what happened later?”
She knew where he was headed and was sorry she’d started the conversation.
“Never mind.”
He laughed. “You know what, Regan?”
“What?”
He tweaked her nose just to aggravate her and said, “We love you. You know that, don’t you?”
She nodded and became teary-eyed again. “Does that mean you’ll triple my budget next year?”
“No, it means we love you. But nice try.”
Alec had walked with Wincott to the elevator and was on his way back to the suite when Aiden stopped him. Spencer was in the doorway talking to Regan.
Neither Aiden nor Alec minced words.
“What’s going on with my sister?”
“I’m going to marry her.”
“You are?”
Alec nodded. “It’s going to take some time for me to convince her, but I’ll eventually wear her down.”
Aiden obviously approved. He shook Alec’s hand, looked at Regan, and said, “I don’t think it will take too long.”
Spencer joined them, and Alec told him his intentions. Spencer was more protective and reserved. “If you ever make my sister cry…” He suddenly stopped. He glanced at Regan just as she wiped a tear away from her cheek and said, “Never mind.”
Regan waited for Alec. She stood in the doorway and watched him walk toward her.
He thought she looked as if she wanted to give him hell.
“I want to thank you for your help today,” she said.
He smiled. “Okay.”
“You saved my life.”
“You saved mine.”
“Then we’re even.”
She stepped back and had every intention of shutting the door in his face just to let him know how upset she was, but his next question stopped her.
“How come you’re so cranky?”
She swung the door wide and stepped forward again. “I am not cranky. I assume you’ll be going on your way now… you know, going forward” she stressed. “And I want to wish you good luck with your career.”
“Really.”
“Yes.”
He started to reach for her, but she put her hand up and shook her head.
“I am not going to let you break my heart again. You listen to me, Alec. You can’t tell me you’re leaving and then come back and put your arms around me and… you just can’t.” She was just warming up. She folded her arms across her chest. “You’re moving forward, remember. That’s what you told me. So go ahead, Alec. Go forward, right out the door.”
She was ready for a fight, but he didn’t play fair.
“I love you, Regan.”
She blinked. “No.”
His grin was adorable. “Yeah, I do. I love you.”
She wouldn’t believe him. “But ‘If I’m ever in Boston’… you said, ‘If I’m ever in Boston’…”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
She was determined to make him squirm a little before she forgave him. But her heart belonged to him.
She stepped back and said, “If you’re ever in Chicago…”
She tried to shut the door. His foot got in the way. He was laughing when he backed her up and then shut the door behind him.
“Maybe you didn’t notice…”
Oh, but she loved him. “Yes?”
“I’m already here.”

Epilogue




Alec was taking Regan home to meet his family. She was nervous and worried they might not like her. He thought that was the craziest thing he’d ever heard. He couldn’t imagine why she was feeling so insecure, but he did his best to reassure her as they walked side by side through the airport.
They were an odd-looking couple. Alec had let his hair and his beard grow for an undercover assignment he’d just completed for the Bureau, and he hadn’t had time to shave and get a haircut. He’d showered and put on his comfortable off-duty uniform, a T-shirt and worn-out jeans.
Regan was picture-perfect. She wore a pink blouse, a short khaki skirt, and sandals. Her only jewelry was a pair of tiny diamond studs and her engagement ring.
She looked like a cover girl. He looked like a serial killer.
Men tried to make eye contact with her, and women tried not to scream when they looked at him.
They were seated in the last row of first class, which afforded them a little privacy, and as soon as the seat belt light went off, he leaned across the armrest and kissed her. He took his time, deliberately trying to fluster her. Then he told her how much he loved her.
“You know what people are thinking when they see us together?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “They’re thinking how lucky I am.”
“That’s right. That’s exactly what they’re thinking.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’d better remove that earring before your brothers see it. From what you’ve told me about them, they’ll be merciless ribbing you.”
“I’ll let them have some fun. Then I’ll take if off.”
“Did you have a chance to read Sophie’s follow-up article about Shields yet?”
“Yes, I did. She did a great job.”
“She’s very talented. Does that surprise you?”
He stretched his legs out, adjusted his seat, and took hold of her hand. “Sweetheart, after finding out that she’s Bobby Rose’s daughter, nothing she does will surprise me. Tell me how you met Cordie and Sophie. I know you became friends in school…”
“Spencer told you about the bully, didn’t he?”
“No, he said to make you tell me.”
“It all started with a pair of barrettes,” she began, and then she told him the story of Morgan the Bully. Alec thought it was hilarious that Regan had thrown up on the girl.
“Did she leave you and your friends alone after that?”
She nodded. “I haven’t seen her in years.”
“I wonder what happened to her.”
“Oh, I know what happened. She went into politics. She’s a senator now.”
He laughed again, sure she was joking.
She loved the way he laughed. She loved just about everything about him. He had walked into her office and forever changed her life.
The man of her dreams was falling asleep. “Alec?”
“Hmm?”
“When are you going to show me Nick’s town house?”
“It’s our town house now,” he corrected. “We could go over tomorrow if you want, and if you don’t like it, we’ll put it on the market and look for something else.”
“I’ll like it.”
“It’s got enough bedrooms for your friends. I know you’re going to miss them.”
She would miss seeing them, but she knew she’d continue to talk to them every day.
“I’ll be going back and forth for a couple of months, until Paul and Henry don’t need me anymore.”
“How did Henry take the news that you’ll be working out of the Boston hotel?”
“Same way your friend took the news when you told him you were going into the FBI.”
“So he cried like a baby too, huh?”
“I forgot to tell you the news. Your computer tech is now working for the Hamilton.”
“Melissa took the job?”
Regan smiled. “Aiden didn’t know what to make of her. She told him she wanted to replace all of our ‘piece of junk’ computers.”
“ ‘Junk’? She said ‘junk’?”
“She’s working on her language skills.”
Regan was telling him about the improvements she was going to make in the office she was setting up at the hotel in Boston. She stopped when she realized Alec had fallen asleep.
She kissed his cheek. “I love you, Alec.”
Now and forever.






The end!